Thoughts From Hebrews - Day 31

                                          Hebrews 11:10-16

 10 For he (Abraham) was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead,came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

 She (Zipporah) bore a son, and he (Moses) named him Gershom; for he said, “I have been an alien residing in a foreign land.”  Ex. 2:22

      Here is the mindset of faith. I call it the Gershom mindset.A person living by faith has the mindset that they are an alien living in a foreign land. I'm a citizen of heaven temporarily living on this planet, the kingdom of earth where I really don't belong. I am ET waiting to be beamed up. I'm just visiting this planet so as Paul says "A good soldier doesn't get involved in civilian affairs." Imagine being a soldier sent to Afghanistan and saving up all your pay to buy a house there. That's CRAZY! You are leaving there when your deployment is over - why settle down roots? As a soldier you would be an alien there and your job is to accomplish your mission and go home!

      The writer of Hebrews would say that is the problem of people not living by faith - they see Earth as their home.

     This passage is full of references to the Gershom mindset. Here are six;

1. "You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions" 10:34

2." For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God"  11:10

3. "Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one."  11:16

4. " He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward."  11:26

5. "There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection." 11:35

6. "Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God"  12:2 

       I'm a short timer here and Paul in 2Corinthians 5 would say I'm an ambassador to this planet. I'm from Heaven and will be returning to Heaven but until then, I'm representing Heaven and my King to the people living here in a winsome, respectful way. I've heard it said, "He's so Heavenly minded that he's no earthly good." The writer of Hebrews would beg to differ. He would say, "To be earthly good, you have to be Heavenly minded."  Are you? Keep looking up!

Thoughts From Hebrews - Day 30

                                                       Hebrews 11:1-9

 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. ² This is what the ancients were commended for.

³ By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

⁴ By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.

⁵ By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. ⁶ And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.

8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance,obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 

      "By grace are we saved by faith..." It is impossible to be saved without faith. It is by faith we are saved. This passage goes through the process by which I was saved and how faith factors into the growth or sanctification process especially in those who were raised in Christian homes.

     Starting with verse 4 we see abel offered a better offering than Cain. Why was his acceptable and Cain's wasn't? Cain gave the best of his efforts to the Lord but God basically said "Your best efforts aren't good enough. You are sinful and only the shedding of blood covers sin. We, like Abel, must realize we are sinners and acknowledge our only hope is found in the blood of Christ which we by faith receive. I did this at an early age and this was what saved me and set me on the path I'm on now.

     Verses 7-9 illustrate to me the sanctification process through faith that occurs in the high school years. Noah (verse 7) stood alone while being mocked for his belief that God was going to judge the world in a supernatural way. High school for me was a time like that. Jesus said "If you confess me before men I will confess you to my father but if you deny me before men, I will deny you to My Father." Was I willing to stand up for Christ even if I was mocked? This was a decision I had to make. Did I have that kind of faith?

      Then there was the question, "was Jesus Lord of my life or was I calling the shots?" This manifested itself, like Abraham (verses 8,9), in the question, "Would I go wherever He sends me and do whatever He wants with my life?" For me I was willing to do and go wherever except I didn't want to be a missionary. I'd heard stories of Jim Elliot and cannibals and been to enough missions conferences at church to know that was not for me. Did I have the faith to go where He sends me and to do what He tells me to do?

     The college years came next and I had to face the question, "Do I intellectually believe this or have I been brain-washed by my parents and Sunday School teachers and Youth Group leaders?" Like verse 3, did I really believe in creation ex nihlo or do I succumb to the teaching of my biology professors even in a Christian institution? Do I believe in the Biblical account in Genesis or do I believe the evolutionary account? I know a lot of Christians just give in on this argument but for me, it was such a critical test of faith that I can't. I see it as a vital sign of faith.

    Lastly, as my faith grew it drew me into an intimate relationship, like Enoch (veers 5,6). Enoch walked with God and loved God and God was pleased with that. Enoch desperately sought not Heaven, or intellectual understanding, or forgiveness of sins but rather Jesus Himself. I really didn't get this until a mission trip to Mexico in 1993. But this takes faith. Spending hours talking to a "person" who you don't see, in my profession would border on schizophrenia. Do you have confidence that He exists and rewards those who diligently seek Him? Have you fallen in love with Jesus?